MAGGIE'S supporters in Nottingham will tuck into cakes and curry for the first Love Maggie's Day.

The national fund-raising day encourages people to do something they love. And food ranks highly here in Nottingham.

Nurse Ruth Fish, 32, will be selling homemade cupcakes to her colleagues at the Queen's Medical Centre. The mum-of-one, from Wollaton, works on an acute medicine ward. Some of the patients have cancer.

She also has personal reasons for supporting the appeal for a cancer caring centre in Nottingham.

Ruth and her sister, Maggie's community fund-raiser Sarah Macey, saw their mum die from breast cancer five years ago.

Nine years ago, the mother of Ruth's husband Julian lost her battle with lung cancer.

"I know how vital a Maggie's Centre would have been if there had been one available for us at the time," said Ruth.

"As a nurse, I see it all the time, people being given the devastating news they have cancer.

"It will be wonderful for people and their families to have a place to go and offload."

Love Maggie's Day is on March 26 but supporters can hold their events any time around that date. The Royal Oak, in Radcliffe-on-Trent, is holding a fund-raising quiz and curry night on March 21.

Teams of four will be battling it out for prizes.

General manager Dan Cramp said he was aware of all the work that villager Sandra Rickman had put in for Maggie's and wanted to do something to help the appeal.

"We're a new gastro pub in the area so we wanted to put on a fun night for locals and support Maggie's. I think it will be quite popular," said Dan.

The pub is laying on free homemade curry for participants, who are advised to book a table in advance. Entry is £3.50 a head, with proceeds going to the appeal. Volunteers will be out and about with collection tins in Old Market Square on March 26. Anyone wishing to help is asked to contact community fund-raiser Sarah Macey on 0115 8718693 or e-mail sarah.macey@maggiescentres.org.

The latest celebrity supporter is How Clean in Your House? presenter Aggie MacKenzie.

She is encouraging people to have a spring clean, selling unwanted toys, CDs, clothes and bikes at a car boot sale or on eBay and donating the profits to Maggie's.

Maggie's patron, Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark will be indulging in her two loves: baking and dancing. Kirsty will be making cakes and dancing at a fund-raising ceilidh in Glasgow.

She said: "This is a very, very special day. We helped more than 80,000 people to live with cancer last year."

lynette.pinchess@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk